Drainage
There is a lot of confusion over who is responsible for a blocked drain. People often think that blocked drains are the responsibility of The Council or Severn Trent Water but this is not the case. The majority of drains connected to domestic houses are in the private ownership of householders served by them. If a blockage occurs, it is the joint responsibility of those people connected to the drain to organise a contractor to carry out works and share the cost accordingly.
The following examples explain the difference between those drains which are the responsibility of the owners (those served by the drain), and those for which Severn Trent may be responsible:
Private Drain
This is any pipe serving one property only. This includes any pipe work for storm water or sewage serving that property. The responsibility for preventing blockages and maintaining private drains remains with the owner even when the drain is beyond the property boundaries.Private Sewer
This is any pipe serving more than one property. The majority of domestic houses are connected to a private sewer. The private sewer is the joint responsibility of those people connected to it. The private sewer commonly runs to the front or rear of the properties which it serves and may continue to serve several streets of houses. For example ten houses may be joined via their private drain to a private sewer. The maintenance of this sewer, serving all ten houses is the joint responsibility of those ten houses. If a blockage or break occurs in the sewer, the responsibility for organising the works to be carried out, falls jointly to the people served by the sewer ‘at the point’ of the blockage. So, for an example a blockage at number 5 would be the responsibility of houses 1 to 5, as they are all served by the sewer at that point.Section 24 Sewer
Where the sewer serving multiple properties was built prior to October 1937 the sewer may be the responsibility of Severn Trent. This is commonly known as a ‘section 24’ sewer. If a blockage occurs on this type of sewer, telephone Severn Trent and they will inform you whether they are responsible. If they are not, then the sewer will be a private sewer as defined above and the maintenance the responsibility of those served by it.Public Sewer
All ‘private sewers’ and ‘section 24’ sewers eventually lead to a public sewer. These will be the responsibility of Severn Trent or the Highways Agency.Installation of Domestic Drainage Systems
The installation of a domestic drainage system requires an application for Building Regulation approval. Application forms are available from the Building Control Section, telephone 01562 732509.Where an application is made and the plans do not show that satisfactory provision has been made for drainage, they will be rejected in accordance with the Building Act 1984 Section 21.
Failure of Domestic Drainage
Due to the nature of the subsoil within many areas of the Wyre Forest District, the Private Sector Housing Team regularly receive complaints about drainage systems that fail to perform satisfactorily. These often result in formal action being taken, and in some cases can lead to prosecution.The majority of these cases are where septic tanks have been installed with an inadequate soak away system, due either to poor design, or increased volume not catered for from the outset.
The Council's preferred drainage options are a gravity connection to a public sewer, or the installation of a pumped system to the public sewer where there is sufficient capacity. Permission must be obtained from Severn Trent Water prior to any connection to a public sewer. However where this is not possible, there are various alternative non-mains drainage options:
* Installation of a septic tank and soak away system
* Installation of a mini treatment plant with discharge consent
* Installation of a sealed cesspool
Installation of a septic tank and soak away system
Septic tank systems consist of two main components; a watertight underground tank into which raw sewage is sent, and (normally) a drainage field to which water is released. Direct discharge to a ditch or watercourse should not occur.In order for it to work satisfactorily, septic tank systems are reliant upon the correct siting, design, installation, operation and maintenance. Local ground conditions are a major factor in their performance as they determine the rate at which the effluent drains into the subsoil.
Care taken at the design stage and during implementation will help to avoid future problems such as foul odours, backing up of sewage, surface flooding and water pollution.
Where a septic tank and soak away system is proposed, the planning authority determines whether express planning permission is required. If so, they will seek further information from other authorities/agencies involved in the design, location and operation of the s ystem.
Installation of a mini treatment plant
There are several manufactured brands of mini treatment plant available on the market; the Council cannot recommend a specific brand. There are two main types of plant, a rotating biological filter that lifts the effluent to allow aerobic treatment or a plant with a compressor that aerates the effluent. Consideration needs to be given to ease and cost of maintenance, running costs, etc.Any discharge from a mini treatment plant to a watercourse, ditch etc. requires a “Consent to Discharge” from the Environment Agency. You can contact the local office via the general enquiry number 08708 506506
Installation of a sealed cesspool
Where a septic tank and soak away and a mini treatment plant are not practical the only other option is a cesspool, which is a sealed tank with no out-fall, for which the minimum storage capacity is 18,000 litres. This allows a storage period of approximately 30 days for an average family with two children.Whilst the initial installation costs may be cheaper, ongoing emptying costs makes this the most expensive long-term solution.
What statutory action can be taken by the Local Authority with regard to defective drainage or blockages?
The role of the council is to take statutory enforcement action against the relevant owners where work is not carried out.
This will involve serving a notice on those served by the relevant pipe, sewer or septic tank and, depending on the cost of
work, carrying out works in default. This work is then recharged to the relevant owners, including the officer costs and overheads.
The council may also carry out prosecution where the notice has not been complied with.
It is advisable that you are prepared for the event of a blockage. This might mean having some arrangements in place with
your neighbours regarding joint payment in the event of a blockage on a private sewer and having the name of a local contractor
at hand to phone in case of emergency.
It is unfair that the person at the end of a line of houses served by a private sewer should end up paying every time the
sewer blocks. Also be aware of what you are putting down the drains, a common cause of blockages is a build up of fat in the
sewer which has solidified. Other problems include nappies, ladies toiletries and even cotton buds.
Further information and a guide to Sewers and Drains (323K)
